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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Hi Curt,
Welcome to the world of boat maintenance!
For tips on performing small repairs to gelcoat, see the webpage on my
Potter Website at http://hometown.aol.com/jblumhorst/Gelcoat.htm
If the gelcoat has rubber from the dock on it and really minor surface
abrasion to the gelcoat, you can rub it out with a very fine polishing
compound.
However, if you can feel a gouge in the gel coat, I'd recommend one of two
options:
1) order some matching gelcoat from International Marine to repair it, or
2) live with the scratch. Since your boat is dark blue, the scratch will
fill show as a white line when you wax the hull. You are waxing it with a
UV-protectant wax to prevent oxidation, right? :^)
Gelcoat finish is typically not very thick - 20 mils is the minimum, but the
gelcoat on your dark blue hull is probably considerably thicker than that
for color better coverage. You could ask IM if they know the actual
thickness. Anyhow, my point is that it's easy to sand all the gelcoat off
if you're too aggressive with your compounding, and the underlying
fiberglass could show through it the coating gets too thin.
Repairs to gelcoat can be 100% invisible if the color match is good.
Gelcoat is the same color after it has cured as it is before curing, so the
gelcoat from IM should be a close-to-perfect color match. You can check the
color match easily. (Check the color match in natural light for best
results). Your boat is practically brand new, so the color is probably like
new, though it may have a very thin film of chalky-looking oxidation.
After you apply the gelcoat and let it cure, you will wet sand it down to a
mirror finish *using a sanding block* with 300, 600, then finish with 1200
or 1500 grit wet paper (available at automotive supply stores or better
hardware supply stores). With the block, you'll remove the high spots
without sanding off the surrounding gelcoat, even if you have drips or
surface irregularities. Just be careful to go very slowly and change the
paper frequently. You don't need much muscle or pressure to wet sand.
A half-pint of gelcoat will be plenty for a few scratches. Polyester
gelcoat has a shelf life of about a year or less under most circumstances,
so don't order too much.
BTW, the most important tip on my webpage is to practice first on a scrap of
wood. Don't practice on your boat.
Fair winds,
Judy B
1985 WWP-18 #266 Redwing
SF Bay, CA
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Curt Westlake [mailto:cwestlake@k-w-b.com]
> Sent: Monday, January 03, 2000 7:56 AM
> To: Potter List
> Subject: Colored hull repair advice needed
>
>
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> West Wight Potter Website at URL
> http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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> I bought a Potter last spring with the midnight blue hull, and since
> winter is here, I've pulled it out of the slip for a variety of
> maintenance chores. As this was my first season of sailing,
> I had a few
> dock and trailer "incidents" that have put a number of
> scratches in her
> beautiful blue hull. The scratches are relatively minor but quite
> visible. One is about 3 feet long, just below the accent strip (nice
> job, Curt!)
>
> My question is whether I can buff these scratches out with rubbing
> compound, or do I have to lay on some gelcoat and initiate the
> laborious finishing process. I would appreciate opinions and tips for
> both courses of action.
>
> Curt Westlake
> WWP 19 #1096
> "True Love"
> Greenville, SC
>
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